Psalms 111:6 - Meaning and Application

Here we are taught to give glory to God for the great things he has done for his people, especially for Israel in former times and in later days. He has shown his people the power of his works (Psalm 111:6), in what he has done for them. Many times he has proved his almighty power, showing them what he can do and that nothing is too hard for him.

Two things are named to show the power of his works. First, there is the land God gave to Israel in Canaan, the land of the heathen, that is, the nations who lived there before them. He did this in Joshua’s time, when the seven nations were defeated, and again in David’s time, when nearby nations were brought under Israel’s rule and became subjects to David. In this, God showed his rule over kingdoms, giving them to whom he pleases, and his power in carrying out what he chooses. If God makes the inheritance of the nations become the inheritance of Israel, who can question his purpose or stop his hand?

Second, there were the many deliverances he worked for his people when, by their sins, they had placed themselves in the hands of their enemies (Psalm 111:9). He sent redemption to his people, not only at the Exodus from Egypt, but often afterward. These rescues pointed forward to the great redemption that was to come through the Lord Jesus, that redemption in Jerusalem for which so many were waiting.

We are also taught to give God glory for the firmness of both his word and his works, which give us confidence about the great things he will yet do. What God has done will never be undone. He will not undo it himself, and neither people nor demons can undo it (Psalm 111:7). The works of his hands are truth and right judgment (Psalm 111:8). That means they are done in truth and honesty. Everything he does fits the eternal standards of justice and wisdom, and nothing in his work needs correcting or improving. What God begins, he will bring to completion. What is well made will last and will not fail under pressure.

What God has said will also never be unsaid. All his commandments are sure, straight, and steady. His purposes, which guide all his actions, will all come to pass. Has he spoken, and will he not do it? Of course he will. Whether he commands light or darkness, it happens just as he says. His commands, which guide our lives, are fully just and good, so they do not change and should not be set aside. His promises and warnings are all certain and will be fulfilled. Human unbelief cannot make either one powerless. They are established, so they stand forever, and Scripture cannot be broken. The wise God never needs to rethink his plans or change his methods, either in his law or in his providence, meaning his guiding rule over the world. Everything he says and does is in truth and uprightness, and so it cannot change. Human folly and dishonesty make people unstable, but God’s perfect wisdom and truth never allow him to take back what he has said. He has commanded his covenant forever. His covenant, his binding promise and agreement with his people, stands by his authority, and he has full power to carry out both its blessings and its warnings (Psalm 105:8).

We are also shown the setting up and strengthening of religion among people. Because his name is holy and worthy of reverence, and because the fear of him is the beginning of wisdom, his praise endures forever, that is, he must be praised forever. The things God has revealed about himself in his word and his works all show his greatness and call for holy fear. His name is holy. His perfect purity and straightness appear in everything by which he makes himself known. Because he is holy, he is also to be held in reverence and thought of with awe. What is holy is worthy of reverence. The angels look at God’s holiness when they cover their faces before him, and nothing honors a person more than being made holy. God appears most terrifying in his holy places (Psalm 68:35; Leviticus 10:3).

Religion also tends to human happiness. We should praise God that reverence for him and obedience to him are as good for us as they are our duty. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is reasonable that we should fear God, since his name is worthy of reverence and his nature is holy. But it is also good for us. It is wisdom, because it teaches us how to speak and act rightly, in harmony with ourselves and for our own good. It is the beginning of wisdom, because no one truly begins to be wise until they begin to fear God. All true wisdom starts with true religion and is built on it. It may also mean the chief wisdom, the highest and best wisdom. The greatest wisdom is to worship God and honor him as our Father and Master. Those who live under his holy fear are the ones who manage life well.

A good understanding have all those who do his commandments. Where the fear of the Lord rules in the heart, there will be a steady and careful desire to keep his commandments, not just to talk about them, but to do them. Such people have a good understanding. In one sense, they are well regarded. Their obedience is kindly accepted as proof that they truly fear God. Compare Proverbs 3:4. God and people will look on them as sincere and approve them, even if they are not perfect. What is honestly meant will be accepted well.

In another sense, they understand well. Their obedience shows that they really do understand. The most obedient are also the most truly wise. Those who make God’s law their rule, and are governed by it in everything, understand themselves and their own good better than others. It is one thing to have a large mind and speak learnedly about God’s commands, but it is another to have a good understanding and actually do them. It is also the way to understand more. The fear of the Lord and his laws give people a sound mind and can make them wise for salvation. If anyone is willing to do God’s will, he will know more and more clearly of the teaching of Christ (John 7:17). Good success belongs to all who do these things, as was promised to Joshua if he would carefully obey the law.

(Joshua 1:8) Then you will make your way prosperous and have good success. We have reason to praise God, and to praise him forever, because he has placed people on such a fair path to happiness.

Some take the last words as referring, not to the good God, but to the good person who fears the Lord: “His praise endures forever.” It may not come from people, but from God, because true praise is from God (Romans 2:29). That praise lasts forever, while the praise that comes from people fades and disappears.